Saturday, April 26, 2014

scenes from my sketchbook. last sunday i went outside and stood next to the giant budding epiphlums. in the spring the more unusual varieties bloom: pink, peach, and an almost neon fuscia. a short-lived but spectacular display! i stood beside them and did some quick sketches with the pentel pocket brush pen and a copic mulit-liner. i've found that i enjoy sketching from a standing position. this smaller sketchbook is just the right size for that.

this variety of majestic red-violet lasts the longest. last night a giant bud lay nestled between the waxy fronds.

and this morning i found this...

i didn't edit a single one of these flower pics. they are really THAT brilliant. that neon. that divine.

i've been coming home from school every day and working on the new website that will host my future online classes. today i'm going to start working on class content. i've made a good solid outline that will serve as my map. now i'm going to start knocking out the videos. this weekend (and every weekend for the next 6 weeks or so) is devoted to developing and filming class content. i'll save the website building for during the week. i can tolerate frustration more easily then. weekends must be FUN!

remember when i wrote about the mary ann moss school of sketching back HERE? i've been working on this idea in my mind for the last year or so, and knew i would eventually teach a class involving handmade sketchbooks/watercolor/sketching. the slightly kooky, MAM version. in the last couple of years i've been on fire about sketchbooks. expert or not, i love teaching what i love doing. simple. i also knew what the name of the class would be because it came to me in a scheme. and i'm always a servant to the schemes my alter ego cooks up. SKETCHBOOKERY.

but i'm getting ahead of myself. a class description will be leaving my brain and making its way to a computer near you in the next 2 weeks. true story. but for now i've got a pot of coffee to make and a tripod that needs my attention.

Oh YES!!!!!! I have just started sketching again,I have never kept at it before or gotten very good, but I always forget how much I love it. I may have to join some mail art swap thing as that kept me going... sometimes I need deadlines.

I have been using my iPad recently and I actually *painted*...! Ok.. virtually painted! I have a fear of painting since a kid. I used to do detailed awesome drawings and trash them with that horrible thick very matte school poster paint... even now I cannot stand the feel of that paint on paper when its dry!

Beautilful photos of those flowers. I don't know what you call them in USA, but I have the same in a pot on my windowsill and here in Sweden we have three variations of this plant, which is actually a cactus. We have Christmas-cactus, November-cactus and Easter-cactus. My plant is an old one and it seems to be a combination of three ones, because it blooms three times a year (Easter, November and Christmas)!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!! To have a kooky sketch book like yours of my very own filled with what inspires me-- yippie!! I have ants in my pants, I'm so excited!
Your cactus flowers are divine in color and shape with a tiny surprise bursting inside. Great photos.
~Dawn

Sketchbookery!!!!! I LOVE IT. Count me in. Oh see I knew as soon as I invested in a set of watercolors and got my feet wet and did some pre puddle jumping that it would all lead back to you after all you are the hostess/teacher with the mostest...EVER!!!!!

Just when you think, "Who really wants to just sit here and watch me create" remember WE DO!!!! WE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU CREATE IT THEY WILL COME!!!!!!!!! I am ready!

I have started my engine!!! I cannot wait and I celebrate every minute you are creating this little gem, but please stay with us longer. Class joy and sense of connection seems to leave as soon as you go. I also work full time at a school and pray part of it happens during my winter (your summer) holidays. But I would also like to create the books early so I can focus on the sketching cause I put myself down. I need to monkey around.

I can't wait for class to begin!...and thank you for sharing a little bit about your process for creating content. As a newbie recreational blogger, it comforts me. I look at other blogs and think, "wow! i'm soooo far behind the game" it's nice to know the videos don't happen overnight. Love your watercolors too.

Mary Ann,
I want to sit in the front row of this new class. Will the instructor be drunk? Can the students drink too? If so, I am even more excited about enrolling. I am eager to learn your spin on watercoloring because I so like your paintings. I have to know, do you film your own videos yourself? No camera person? If you work without a camera person, that inspires me, because I bought the video camera, but am too nervous to talk to the camera with a person behind it. Thanks again for the great blog.

you will continue to have access to those older classes - definitely! ill just have new students sign up for them eventually over on the new site. if i migrate everything over to wordpress youll still have access..OH YES!

Sssssooo excited. I'm in line waiting to sign up. I'm pitching my tent in line to not miss this one. Quick question: I was wondering what happens to your " Ticket to Venice " etc classes. Are they going to be transferred over ? Are they going to still be available? Will we still have access to them once you transfer over? How will that all work? ok ... That's more than a quick question...

Can't wait!! Now that I'm retired, I can really devote so much more time to something like this, well, when I'm not in having chemo! But on all the in-between days, art is what grounds me and lifts me up at the same time. I will definitely be on board for this one!
Erin in Morro Bay